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Can Photography Help You Heal?

Say cheese! There's been some new attention on an unconventional form of therapy, called phototherapy or therapeutic photography that is said to help with everything from eating disorders to the horrors of recovering from incest victimization. Let's discuss...

ABC News recently profiled the work of acclaimed "photo therapist" Ellen Fisher Turk and her work using her camera to help people heal from physical and mental ailments that range from disordered eating to sexual abuse. From the article:

"She doesn't tell them how to pose but rather lets them move around and use her as a trusted outside observer. During a photo session, Turk said she tries to show the victim's humanity and beauty in the series of photographs. Some anorexics walk away with a vision of themselves as others see them: ill but not fat. With incest victims, Turk said the women often walk away with compassion for themselves."

She says: "With incest, I've see that as children, they took it as they did something wrong. What they see uniformly in the context of the photos is a lovely person, and they see a way to have compassion for that person."

I'm a big fan of many alternative therapies--animal therapy, music therapy, etc. And I love that this seems to be helping people get through hellish experiences. But, here's my concern: As qualified as Turk sounds, I worry about other less qualified people setting up "photo therapy" shops in malls and dark office buildings across America and luring in people who may be victimized thinking that they are being "treated." Did that cross your mind too? If you're considering doing a nude photo shoot in the name of therapy, make sure you get the name of a qualified "photo therapist" from a doctor or health care provider who you trust.